Newest News:
The above picture is of my mini daffodils. That is the surest sign of Spring, don’t you think? Their little yellow heads bobbing in the spring breeze, even if it is cold, just makes a person think of warmer weather. Other signs of Spring are that the flowering plum trees are starting to bloom. It’s nice to drive down the street and see a pink flowering tree in nearly every yard. There are other trees which bloom in white. While I don’t know what kind of tree they are, they’re just covered in white blossoms and the whole street, well, neighborhood, is just delightful to see. But all of that means that the pines, spruces, willows, cedars, and for me, even worse, are the junipers all in full pollen producing mode. I’m a mess of watery, itchy eyes, constantly running nose, and sneezing and coughing while I try to breathe. This time of year, nearly ¾ of the people I know are suffering. I love Spring but the pollen, not so much.
On my new plant-based lifestyle, I’ve been pretty successful over the last week. I did some shopping after watching all of those vegan Youtube videos, and picked up a number of condiments, veggies, and even some prepared meat and cheese substitutes to try out. Breakfasts and lunches have hardly changed. What has changed is that there is vegan bread. Much of the gluten free bread I’ve been buying has egg in it, so I am again label checking to find bread that doesn’t have egg. I’ve tried some of the meat substitutes. The other night I made a vegan Shepard’s Pie using Beyond Meat crumbles. The “meat” had a smoky flavor, perhaps a little too much but it blended well with the mushrooms, carrots, celery, onion and garlic in the filling. The potato mash on the top used vegan butter, yes, that’s a thing, and I thinned it with veggie broth. The whole thing was delicious. Even the hubby, who is not on the vegan bandwagon, gave the meal a thumbs up. You may ask, “What do I miss?” Eggs. I do miss having eggs for breakfast. I have tried using tofu as a scrambled egg substitute but since the hubby isn’t eating it, I ended up eating the mixture, as breakfast tacos, breakfast sandwich, on a plate with other things, and so on. After the 4th day I was sick of it. Nothing’s perfect, I guess. The other problem is that this is a small town in the middle of nowhere. No restaurant offers vegan options. I have to modify anything I order to eliminate the meat and dairy products. That means I’m mostly eating lettuce with the random piece of tomato or slice of cucumber. Hardly the delight one expects when eating out. Oh well.
Stay tuned!
Giveaways:
The Valentine’s Day giveaway is still live. There are 14 authors involved this time so a lot of great books and prizes are up for grabs. Go to my link, https://conniesrandomthoughts.com/giveaways-and-prizes/ to enter. The group is skipping this year’s St. Patrick’s Giveaway, but are putting together the Spring giveaway, so keep your eyes peeled for that.
Where will I Be?
The Desert Foothills festival in Scottsdale. Mark your calendar for June 4th, 9am to 2pm at the Holland Center, 34250 North 60th street. See you there. This is the first annual festival and I’m looking forward to it.
Phoenix Fan Fusion, is back scheduled for its normal time, Memorial Day weekend. Even more fun, it’s the event’s 20th anniversary! I’ll be there in Artists Alley, at table number B821. The website does not yet have a map up of the lower-level sellers area but when they do, I’ll post the link. I’ve made my hotel reservations! https://www.phoenixfanfusion.com/.
Payson Book Festival planning is in full swing. We have a wonderful lineup of authors attending. We’re still finalizing registrations but I’m sure readers will be pleased with the wide variety of genres we have available. Check out the website’s Meet the Authors page to see who will be there selling their books. We’ll be in Payson at the Mazatzal Hotel and Casino ballroom on July 23rd, 2022 from 9am until 2:30pm.
CokoCon is a traditional science fiction/fantasy convention in Phoenix, Arizona, September 2nd through the 5th. Adult memberships are $50 each. Children are $25. Only 500 memberships will be offered! I’m not selling at this event, but I will be there to chat with you if you happen to come out. Contact me through my website or facebook page to schedule a meet up! Check out their website at http://www.cokocon.org/2022/.
Newsletter Sign Up:
Click here to sign up for my newsletter. I’ve put sign-up gifts on the regular and the SciFi/Fantasy and the Cozy Mystery newsletter sign-ups. That’s right. If you sign up for my newsletter you get a free story from me. Be prepared for fun and contests! Click on the video link for a short video from me. Hear what I’m working on. Join my “A” Team to be the first to read my books and hear what new books are coming. Don’t forget to follow my blog, too. Different material goes in the blog as in the newsletter. You can share both, so spread the word!
Newest Releases:
Creature in the Night, a short Halloween, Winter Solstice, Christmas, Fantasy story has been published. It is up on Amazon, in Kindle Unlimited or for purchase at $.99. You can also see all my books on http://conniesrandomthoughts.com/my-books-and-other-published-work/. If you’ve read any of my books, please drop a short, honest, review on the site where you bought it or on Goodreads or BookBub. Your review is critical to help me promote my books to other readers. Thanks in advance.
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